Where Illinois's HVAC companies are
The largest concentrations of HVAC companies in our Illinois data are in Chicago, Rockford, Bloomington, Peoria, Champaign, Springfield, Decatur and Des Plaines. Competition for the map pack is heaviest there, and so is the reward: the same review count that dominates a small town is invisible in Chicago.
The map pack in Illinois
In Illinois, 20.9% of HVAC companies have fewer than ten reviews. That is the good news if you have twenty: most of your local competitors are not trying. The bad news is that the three shops in the map pack for Rockford searches are not in that group. They are near 716 reviews and they ask every customer.
The website gap in Illinois
19.8% of Illinois HVAC companies list no website on their Google profile, about as many than the national 20.5%. Nationally, HVAC companies with a website have a median of 47 reviews against 8 without. A five-page site with tap-to-call and a page per service is the cheapest gap to close.
Hours and after-hours calls
51.3% of Illinois HVAC companies list themselves as open 24 hours. If you take after-hours calls, say so in your profile hours, because Google shows "Closed" in red on a profile that says it is closed. If you do not, list real hours and let missed-call text-back cover the gap, so the caller gets a reply instead of dialing the next name.
What to do first in Illinois
- Set a review velocity. One review per job day, asked at the door, moves a 44-review shop past the Illinois 75th percentile (202) within a year. The guides have the scripts.
- Finish the Google profile: primary category, every service you offer, real job photos, and hours that match reality. It is free and it is where Illinois customers decide.
- Turn on missed-call text-back. Run the calculator with your own numbers to see what unanswered calls cost.
- Then, and only then, spend on ads. Pointed at a profile with 44 reviews and no website, ads pay for your competitor's education. Pointed at a finished profile, they work.
The full national picture, with percentiles, ratings and hours, is in the benchmark report. The method is on the about page.